Opportunities
After the excitement of the shoot weekend you might be thinking what next? With your crew of talented collaborators and a fresh new film you'll be looking for the next opportunity to progress your filmmaking beyond our competition.
One option is to repurpose the film your team created in 48Hours and enter it into film festivals. Think you could have done better? You could grab pickups or simply fix those aspects you ran out of time on and make your film festival ready!
You could also plan your next film! There are other film challenges out there as well as funding options to help finance your next project.
We've listed some opportunities on this page that might be relevant to 48Hours teams. This is just some of what is out there and new things pop up continuously.
Newsletters
Its a good idea to sign up to newsletters - most industry organisations regularly share new events and initiatives via email. Guilds and local screen offices will also have more specific opportunites such as local talks, workshops and events that you might want to get involved with.
OnScreen
OnScreen is a nationwide challenge for Intermediate and High School students to create an original short film, documentary or music video of up to 7 minutes. It provides rangatahi an opportunity to develop their filmmaking skills, connect with industry mentors, and showcase their creative talents alongside like-minded peers. OnScreen is free to enter and open to all intermediate and high school students across Aotearoa.
And yes — you can enter your 48Hours film into OnScreen. In fact, we encourage it!
To get involved, register your student filmmaking team via the OnScreen website - you will then receive the OnScreen Manual with all information on planning a shoot, key dates, rules and tips.
Find out more about entering your 48Hours film into Onscreen.
Film Festivals
Film festivals are an excellent way to gain exposure for your work, meet other creatives and share your story with an array of audiences. There are multiple film festivals available across Aotearoa and many more across the globe. Many festivals will now accept films that have screened online and in other countires so there are a lot more opportunities out there.
It can be overwhelming to decide which festivals to enter, and many have a cost involved, so you need to be realistic and plan a strategy for festival entry. Fortunately the New Zealand Film Commission has created an awesome resource called the Short Film Festival Marketing Guide 2025 which includes informtion on planning a strategy, right through to creating material for submissions.
Film Freeway is a popular platform for finding and applying to film festivals. The site hosts a wide variety of festivals which focus on various niche audiences and is a good way to manage your festival entry.
Misty Flicks
Misty Flicks Trust is a not-for-profit organisation that supports film and filmmakers in the Waikato & Central North Island of New Zealand. They host the Misty Flicks Film Festival, where the audience can experience independent local, national and indigenous cinema.
Misty flicks organises, collaborates and supports year-round talent development programmes such as workshops, screenings and network events through Misty Flicks Labs.
Misty Flicks also runs their annual challenge - a low-stakes, high-fun filmmaking competition designed to get you creating. Whether you fly solo or build a team of friends, family, or fellow creatives, the aim is simple: create a short film that’s 1–9 minutes long.
Learn more about Misty Flicks here.
Loading Docs
Loading Docs is New Zealand’s premier documentary incubator. Their initiative is built on a world-class collaboration and mentorship model that has empowered nearly 200 filmmakers.
Loading Docs offers extensive guidance to filmmakers, helping them produce short documentaries with international appeal. Their selection process starts with a public call for submissions, from which they choose a group of filmmakers to realise their documentary concepts and engage in a comprehensive professional development program.
Find out more about Loading Docs here.
Day One
The Day One Film Challenge, formerly known as the Someday Challenge, is all about giving filmmaking a shot and amplifying youth voices.
The challenge is open to anyone up to 29, with two deadlines throughout the year participants stand a chance to win exciting prizes and take part in unique experiences.
With multiple categories to enter and an array of prizes, Day One is a fantastic opportunity for young filmmakers to submit their work and to tell your story for a better tomorrow.
Funding
There are several main funding sources for for film and television in Aotearoa. These are pretty competitive and aimed at more experienced practitioners. Its good to understand what they offer and how they work if you are developing a career in film. There are occasionally initiatives that target youth or emerging filmmakers so its good to be connected to their newsletters so you can seize those opportunities.
These main organisations are: